HUNGER GAMES BOOK REVIEW:
The Hunger Games is a 2008 novel which was written by Suzanne Collins. It takes place in nation known as Panem, in North America. There is one wealthy capitol that is surrounded by twelve poorer districts. The book begins in District 12 which was formerly known as Appalachia.
Katniss and her sister, Primrose (Prim) Everdeen, go to the reaping where they are both eligible for the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. The Hunger Games was created by the cruel Capitol, a punishment for the uprising the districts had against the Capitol. The twelve districts were given the Hunger Games; the thirteenth thought to be destroyed.Children are eligible to participate in the Hunger Games once they turn twelve years old, and are no longer eligible after they turn eighteen. When they turn twelve, their name is entered into the reaping once, when they're thirteen they get entered twice, and so on. People who are poor and starving are allowed to enter their name extra times in exchange for a yearly supply of grain and oil for one person. Katniss does this each year, so by age of sixteen her name is in the reaping twenty times. Prim's name is entered once.
Collins has described Katniss as being an independent survivalist, lethal, but good at thinking outside the box Katniss's past hardships (her father's death, mother's depression, and near starvation) have made her a survivor, and she will endure hardship and hard work to preserve her own life and the life of her family. She states herself that nice people are the most dangerous because they get inside of her and that they could hurt her badly when she least expected it. She has shown she will protect those she loves, no matter the cost to herself, as shown when she volunteers for the Games to save her little sister Prim.
Peeta is a baker's son. He lives with his parents and two older brothers in the family bakery. He seems to be close to his father but less so with his mother, who beat him and his brothers. His relationships with his older siblings are unknown, but when he was chosen in the reaping, his brother didn't volunteer for him. Peeta's main talents are baking, painting and camouflage. He is also very strong. His artistic talents developed from helping out at his parents' bakery by decorating the beautiful cakes that Katniss and Prim sometimes looked at in the Bakery window. His larger build and strength also give him an advantage during hand-to-hand combat and wrestling.
As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, in which a 13th district was destroyed, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by an annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants (or "tributes") must fight to the death in an outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one individual remains. The story is narrated by 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. The male tribute chosen from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a former schoolmate of Katniss who once gave her bread from his family's bakery when her family was starving. This book was intended for young adults, although I would also recommend it to adults as it is a very intriguing book and once you start you really can’t stop. It is an enthralling story about two teenagers who manage to survive what seems like an impossible journey and find love and confide in one another.